Just on the heels of countless showcases at SXSW (he was the drummer for everybody and their mama), Brooklyn-based drummer and producer Daru Jones was recently out in San Francisco for a Camp Lo and Digable Planets show. In addition to breaking several drumsticks and eating up all the fish tacos the Bay had to offer, Daru sat down with me on a stoop in the Mission District to talk a bit about keepin it hip-hop and church all at the same time.

Following the video, treat yourself to an exclusive Giant Step premiere: a free download of Daru’s promo EP entitled “So Good” featuring Swedish soul singer Kissey Asplund. The project is part of a monthly series Daru is doing to get the word out about what he calls “RUSIC” music (think soul-hop).

“My mission was to challenge myself by releasing one RUSIC project per month, to showcase indie artists in coordination with the RUSIC sound. Each project has a different theme in order to showcase my diversity, and convey a message, regardless of the form or genre.” — Daru Jones

“La Gloria”, the first single taken from this forthcoming Gotan Project album Tango 3.0, features an inspired vocal contribution from the celebrated Argentine football commentator Victor Hugo Morales who name-checks all the musicians featured on the track before shouting GOOOOOOTAN (instead of his trademark GOOOOOOOAL!!).

On March 27th, we had the historical double bill of Questlove and Gilles Peterson to finish off our Sunset Soiree in The Florida Room at WMC. After Gilles’ 3-hour set, Questlove took over. And before Questlove started his own momentous DJ set, he took the mic: here’s what he had to say.

This week GPWW features a discussion with the rising Somalian hip-hop star, K’NAAN. K’NAAN has recently been featured on tracks with Mary J Blige and Mos Def, and is currently touring the US with Wale. Of course Gilles Peterson continues to find new artists from all over the world, and this mix includes everything from Afro-beat on Strut Records and newly reissued Latin music, to Blue Note classics and new albums by Cobblestone Jazz and Paul Weller.

Videos After the Jump:K’NAAN – “ABC’s” Live at Filmore at Irving Plaza (NYC) 3/31/10Friends We Love: Gilles Peterson shares his insight on having the best job in the world and what has kept him going as a career DJ for 30 years.